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Weather - Seattle's summers are spectacular. 3-4 months of perfect weather during most summers, with a few occasional hot streaks (which can be unpleasant) but for the most part Seattle summers are as good as it gets. Then you've got 5-6 months of grey, cold, wet, dark weather (with occasional snow), which can be tough for some people. Then you've got 2-3 months that are decent and could go either way. Denver doesn't have anything as nice as Seattle's summer, but is much sunnier year-round with a lot more snow. Denver's weather varies dramatically and can be unpredictable, but I can't emphasize the difference in the amount of sunshine enough. I think for most people, Denver's weather is probably better looking at the full year.
Public Transportation - Seattle is an easier city to get around without a car and I believe has better public transit. Seattle ranks 7th for public transit commute ridership, while Denver is not in the top 20. Seattle also has much higher overall daily ridership. In terms of the bus system, Seattle wins handily. In terms of rail, Denver is currently ahead, but I think Seattle is building a better system. Denver's is mostly at-grade and flies to the suburbs without hitting most of the cool neighborhoods in the city. Seattle is building a system that is largely underground or grade-separated. It will have subway stations under dense urban areas (like Capitol Hill, U District, Roosevelt, Downtown Bellevue, etc.) and is more reliable because of the grade-separation. The current rail line in Seattle mostly goes through low-density areas but the extensions and new lines coming up will completely transform the city and I believe by 2023 Seattle will be well ahead of Denver in rail.
Neighborhoods Both cities have great neighborhoods. Denver has Capitol Hill, Broadway, Highlands, Cherry Creek, Chessman Park, etc. Seattle has Capitol Hill, Lower and Upper Queen Anne, First Hill, South Lake Union, Fremont, Ballard, Phinney/Greenwood etc. Seattle has more urban neighborhoods adjacent to Downtown which gives it a larger and more cohesive urban core, but both cities have nice neighborhoods with a good range of options and character throughout the city.
I disagree with the OP when he said that Seattle's doesn't have that many nice neighborhoods - I can see why you would think that based on where the Light Rail travels through from the airport (although the South actually has a number of cool neighborhoods, including Columbia City and Georgetown- but you wouldn't see them from the light rail) - but if you actually get to know the city, you'll see there's a lot of great neighborhoods. Capitol Hill in itself is very large and has multiple distinct sections.
In terms of vibrancy and walkability, I'd give it to Seattle. In terms of nightlife, these two are very comparable but I'd give the slight edge to Seattle. Restaurants/Food goes to Seattle. Denver has friendlier and more straight-forward people, which I think goes a long way. Also has better traffic and feels a little safer in the Downtown area and urban core. In terms of culture, Seattle has a strong maritime culture and history, which is pretty cool. Denver has a strong old west culture and history, which is also pretty cool.
Both are amazing for outdoor opportunities - I honestly can't put one above the other in that category.
Hi there, thanks so much for offering your take!
So first of all, I'm totally with you on the weather. Honestly, cold and dark winters are not things that are scaring me away at all. I like rain, and although I'm sure I could get sick of it after a while, I much prefer it to be cold, dark, and wet as opposed to being hot, sunny, and smoggy. My ideal temperature is between the mid 50's and high 60's so Seattle's year-round temps sound pretty close to this range. Summers in Denver can be hot and dry but fall, winter, and spring can be a great balance of cool temps, rain, sun, and snow.
On transit and neighborhoods, I should probably clarify- It is not that I don't think Seattle has nice neighborhoods: Seattle has several gorgeous neighborhoods with really cute houses. My concern was that most of the ones that I like and may have been able to afford 20 years ago are pretty much out of reach now or are too far away. What I probably meant to say was that I was not finding neighborhoods that were both nice, fairly affordable (1000-1500/month), and remotely close to convenient transit. I am absolutely not going to be spending my adult life commuting in my car, in traffic, for 2 hours every day. I see that time as deadweight loss and am not going to let those hours of my life add up like I see so many of these guys in Orange County driving to and from Los Angeles every morning and every night. Until I am married and have kids where I'll need a bigger house, I want to live within walking distance of a light rail station or MAYBE a trollybus line that is not crazy hindered by freeway traffic.
It is the transit part I will have to disagree with you on. I rode on several busses in Seattle: the 18, 70, 124 (HUGE MISTAKE), and a few others in addition to riding Central Link end to end twice. My ride on the 18 was jerky and seemed like it could break down at any minute, the 70 was painfully slow in both directions and the 124 was a crowded nightmare because of the behavior of the people we were on the bus with- this was a place I actually wish the Seattle freeze could have shown up. All of the busses and trollybusses that I rode in Seattle were honestly gross. They were all a combination of old, grimy, smelly, or all of these! They reminded me of the bus fleet LA used to have before the late 2000's. I compare these to the busses I have ridden in cities like Washington DC, Denver, and Munich where almost every bus I seem to get is either new or very well-maintained. I know that Seattle is finally renewing its trollybus fleets which is wonderful and should do some good for riders.
I do not know when you were last in Denver but I know it has changed a lot in the last 10 years and is in my opinion, Denver is currently far-better situated than Seattle. The light rail system is fairly comprehensive with both a loop in central downtown and toward LODO/Union Station which is all connected by the free Mall and Metro rides shuttles that transverse downtown which I found to be extremely easy to work with. While I would prefer a streetcar up and down the mall, due to restrictions on car traffic along 16th street, I can depend on it. With the four new commuter rail corridors coming online over the next two years in addition to a new light rail corridor with multiple extensions to existing lines, there are just way more places to live in Denver and be close to transit. Rents downtown are on the rise, but so many new apartments are coming online that it is not yet out of control. The other difference is the light rail connects with satellite work centers to the south too. Not every job in the metropolitan area is downtown, and in Denver, transit is really well configured to get people to and from these areas without being impeded by traffic.
Traffic in Denver really sucks sometimes but it's not seemingly as bad as what I experienced in Seattle. In Denver, bad traffic is mostly localized to i70 and the the 25. The difference seems to be that if you plan ahead with where you choose to live in Denver, the traffic might be a little more escapable.
So first of all, I'm totally with you on the weather. Honestly, cold and dark winters are not things that are scaring me away at all. I like rain, and although I'm sure I could get sick of it after a while, I much prefer it to be cold, dark, and wet as opposed to being hot, sunny, and smoggy. My ideal temperature is between the mid 50's and high 60's so Seattle's year-round temps sound pretty close to this range. Summers in Denver can be hot and dry but fall, winter, and spring can be a great balance of cool temps, rain, sun, and snow.
On transit and neighborhoods, I should probably clarify- It is not that I don't think Seattle has nice neighborhoods: Seattle has several gorgeous neighborhoods with really cute houses. My concern was that most of the ones that I like and may have been able to afford 20 years ago are pretty much out of reach now or are too far away. What I probably meant to say was that I was not finding neighborhoods that were both nice, fairly affordable (1000-1500/month), and remotely close to convenient transit. I am absolutely not going to be spending my adult life commuting in my car, in traffic, for 2 hours every day. I see that time as deadweight loss and am not going to let those hours of my life add up like I see so many of these guys in Orange County driving to and from Los Angeles every morning and every night. Until I am married and have kids where I'll need a bigger house, I want to live within walking distance of a light rail station or MAYBE a trollybus line that is not crazy hindered by freeway traffic.
It is the transit part I will have to disagree with you on. I rode on several busses in Seattle: the 18, 70, 124 (HUGE MISTAKE), and a few others in addition to riding Central Link end to end twice. My ride on the 18 was jerky and seemed like it could break down at any minute, the 70 was painfully slow in both directions and the 124 was a crowded nightmare because of the behavior of the people we were on the bus with- this was a place I actually wish the Seattle freeze could have shown up. All of the busses and trollybusses that I rode in Seattle were honestly gross. They were all a combination of old, grimy, smelly, or all of these! They reminded me of the bus fleet LA used to have before the late 2000's. I compare these to the busses I have ridden in cities like Washington DC, Denver, and Munich where almost every bus I seem to get is either new or very well-maintained. I know that Seattle is finally renewing its trollybus fleets which is wonderful and should do some good for riders.
I do not know when you were last in Denver but I know it has changed a lot in the last 10 years and is in my opinion, Denver is currently far-better situated than Seattle. The light rail system is fairly comprehensive with both a loop in central downtown and toward LODO/Union Station which is all connected by the free Mall and Metro rides shuttles that transverse downtown which I found to be extremely easy to work with. While I would prefer a streetcar up and down the mall, due to restrictions on car traffic along 16th street, I can depend on it. With the four new commuter rail corridors coming online over the next two years in addition to a new light rail corridor with multiple extensions to existing lines, there are just way more places to live in Denver and be close to transit. Rents downtown are on the rise, but so many new apartments are coming online that it is not yet out of control. The other difference is the light rail connects with satellite work centers to the south too. Not every job in the metropolitan area is downtown, and in Denver, transit is really well configured to get people to and from these areas without being impeded by traffic.
Traffic in Denver really sucks sometimes but it's not seemingly as bad as what I experienced in Seattle. In Denver, bad traffic is mostly localized to i70 and the the 25. The difference seems to be that if you plan ahead with where you choose to live in Denver, the traffic might be a little more escapable.
You can definitely find studios or 1-bedrooms in Capitol Hill, Lower Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont, First Hill, Pioneer Square, and several other areas that have good transit service and connectivity for $1500.
In general, I just find Seattle to be a more transit-friendly city - this is borne out by the fact that it has much higher transit ridership and mode share. Denver's rail system is at-grade so it's less reliable and much slower, and it really doesn't stop in most cool parts of the city (Capitol Hill, Highlands, Broadway, Cherry Creek, etc.). Seattle's rail system - by 2023 - will have subway stations and grade-separated rail in the middle of dense, vibrant neighborhoods. It still has too much suburb focus, but at least it's largely underground or elevated and will hit right in the middle of many cool parts of the city. And in 2016 they're voting on hooking in Downtown Ballard and West Seattle into the system. Denver's light rail (like San Diego's and to a lesser extent Portland's) is like a slow commuter rail with poor station locations within the city. It's decent for getting from the suburbs to Downtown but not good for getting around Denver's urban areas outside of a small loop downtown.
You can definitely find studios or 1-bedrooms in Capitol Hill, Lower Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont, First Hill, Pioneer Square, and several other areas that have good transit service and connectivity for $1500.
In general, I just find Seattle to be a more transit-friendly city - this is borne out by the fact that it has much higher transit ridership and mode share. Denver's rail system is at-grade so it's less reliable and much slower, and it really doesn't stop in most cool parts of the city (Capitol Hill, Highlands, Broadway, Cherry Creek, etc.). Seattle's rail system - by 2023 - will have subway stations and grade-separated rail in the middle of dense, vibrant neighborhoods. It still has too much suburb focus, but at least it's largely underground or elevated and will hit right in the middle of many cool parts of the city. And in 2016 they're voting on hooking in Downtown Ballard and West Seattle into the system. Denver's light rail (like San Diego's and to a lesser extent Portland's) is like a slow commuter rail with poor station locations within the city. It's decent for getting from the suburbs to Downtown but not good for getting around Denver's urban areas outside of a small loop downtown.
Oh yea, ridership in Seattle is indeed way higher- I understand that Seattle's trollybus system has been in service for decades as has the culture of commuting by bus. Still, even when Seattle's East Link and extensions open, I really don't think they will necessarily change the game of all the commuting pains immediately by means of ridership. In Denver, I think that ridership will catch up but it will take time- part of that comes from the fact that Denver's light rail system is much newer. The original downtown loop goes back to the 90's but the extensions to suburbs and job centers has only really been picking up steam since the 2000's.
I should ask, have you ridden on Denver's light rail network? Since 2006? I would have to disagree with the idea that Denver's at-grade light rail lines are inferior- certainly not what I would call slow or unreliable. I would tend to agree that a light rail corridor sharing a lot of its tracks with road vehicles is less ideal than being underground, but I don't think this is really the case in Denver. The only part of Denver's light rail network that shares tracks with road vehicles is on the downtown loop section that is fairly short. The tracks that extend to the southern and western suburbs are mostly "at-grade" I suppose you could say but do not share any of these tracks with other vehicles. There are some grade crossings, but those mostly seem to slow cars down rather than trains. The lines still achieve impressive speeds (as fast if not faster than central link outside of downtown) and are VERY reliable- I have almost never been delayed on a light rail train in Denver. I find the stations downtown are actually very conveniently located and offer easy access almost anywhere from central and lower downtown- much so more than Seattle. Seattle only has one line- it's a good one, but it's only one line.
As far as Seattle's plans for its southern elevated extension are concerned- I am absolutely not impressed: I do not like elevated light rail lines- just looking at LA and their enormous viaducts just feel terribly ugly and do not necessarily offer any additional benefits-especially when the corridors follow freeways out to the suburbs. Underground is great, but often quite expensive where in Denver, it has largely been unnecessary. I would like a subway line down 16th or 17th street in Denver someday of course, but I think that Denver has made considerably more progress in transit than Seattle has over the last 20 years.
I'm sure Seattle will have a great transit system in the future, but if you'll only have merely voted on a major expansion by next year, and with the next new approved line will be coming in 2023 after being voted on years ago, it sounds like a comprehensive rail system in Seattle is a very long way off.
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